


Tiramisu

by TrenchWarfare



Category: George and Johnny
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 18:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6917890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrenchWarfare/pseuds/TrenchWarfare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'He’ll think about George’s smile and realize he is a rom-com cliché and he refuses to feel bad about it.'</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>Nerds in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tiramisu

Sometimes, when Johnny’s walking home from band practice, he’ll stop outside La Affezióne and look in the window. He’ll try to ignore the way it makes his wallet feel heavier in his jeans and instead he’ll picture being able to sit in there, across from George, and order the best tiramisu in the state. It makes him feel like some sort of rom-com cliché.

Then he’ll think about George’s smile and realize he _is_ a rom-com cliché and he refuses to feel bad about it.

Sometimes, he’ll pause there for only a moment, enough time for a brief glance, for the longing to latch onto the wall of his heart, and then he’ll continue on his way, shooting off a brief text to George to see what he’s doing.

Other times, he’ll catch sight of a couple, young or old, hands linked on the table or feeding each other food. It’s disgustingly sweet and Johnny can’t help wanting that. It yanks at his chest and he’ll stand there for a solid five minutes, just watching them, frozen in place.  

Johnny’s not a huge fan of Italian food in general. He’d much rather just get some burgers, but there’s something about the atmosphere in La Affezióne that pulls him there. The way the candles flicker on each table, the pristine tablecloths. It all just screams romantic and pricey. Plus, as previously stated, they have the best tiramisu in the state.

That’s probably the biggest selling point actually.

-

Johnny’s not a morning person. It’s a miracle he makes it to school in the morning at all most days, he can’t really be blamed for plopping his head down on his desk immediately when he gets there.

He drifts for a few minutes, listening to music and grasping at consciousness, because nothing is worse than waking up in the morning except maybe having to wake up twice in the same morning.

“Morning,” George’s voice pulls him out of his doze and Johnny lifts his head up in time to see George fall into the chair next to him.

“Hnngngnng,” Johnny groans back in greeting.

George laughs softly and Johnny tries not to dwell on the way it makes his stomach leap into his throat.

“You still want me to come over tonight?” George asks. He reaches into his backpack to pull out a notebook and his favorite polka dotted pencil.

“Yeah, of course,” Johnny says around a yawn, he shifts over so he can press his arm against George’s.

“You gonna be able to last that long?” George asks with a teasing smile.

“Shut up,” Johnny shoves at him, “we’ll see who’s laughing when you fall asleep first again,”

 “Hey!” George says, a flush staining his cheeks, “It’s not my fault your bed is so comfortable!”

Johnny blinks and then laughs, full bodied and loud. George gets even pinker when he realizes what he said, but soon enough he also dissolves into laughter.

They have to pull themselves together when the teacher enters the room and Johnny fixes his stare on the blackboard, the light feeling in his chest more than enough to help him coast through the day.

-

Johnny and Jason take turns doing the grocery shopping. Their mom works late so often that it wouldn’t get done otherwise. When it’s Johnny’s turn, sometimes George tags along, but today he’s doing something with Claire, so Johnny has to brave the supermarket alone.

He has a list that doesn’t have a single baked good on it, but he steers the cart toward the bakery section anyway.

He stops in front of the pastry case, eyes automatically searching out a package of tiramisu. He finds one tucked between a slice of cheesecake and a tray of cake pops and he adds it to the cart without a second thought.

As he’s checking out, he pulls his phone out of his pocket to send a text.

To: Georgie

_When are you done w Claire?_

_Wanna hang out?_

From: Georgie

_Sure! I’ll be free in about an hour_

To: Georgie

_See you then! ;)_

Johnny walks home with a bounce in his step.

When he gets to George’s, he hands over the tiramisu and watches how George’s eyes widen and a smile spreads across his face. Johnny’s breath catches somewhere in his sternum.

“Thanks!” George says brightly and doesn’t wait for a reply. He carries the tiramisu to the kitchen, grabs a fork, and digs in.

Johnny slides into a chair next to him and leans over, chin on his hand, to watch George eat. There’s a familiar pull in his chest, not unlike the one he gets when he stops outside of La Affezióne, one that he associates with George.

“Is it any good?” Johnny asks when the first forkful disappears between George’s lips.

George nods enthusiastically, an adorable starry look in his eyes, fork still in his mouth. Johnny really wants to kiss him.

He looks away before the urge can consume him, leaning back and linking his hands behind his head.

That night, Johnny will fall asleep imagining having the freedom to just lean over and kiss him.

-

Sometimes George comes to band practice, which is both a blessing and a curse in equal amounts. The first time wasn’t even because Johnny invited him, but because Crystal did. Johnny doesn’t even want to know how Crystal got George’s number because he certainly doesn’t remember them exchanging them that first night.

George settles into his spot on the floor and pulls out his math homework. He never makes a lot of noise, just sometimes cheers when they run through a song perfectly, but Johnny constantly finds himself distracted anyway.

He finds himself fixating on George’s expressions, the way his brow furrows when he gets stuck on a difficult question, the way his eyes light up when he figures out the answer, the way his smile takes over his entire face when their eyes meet.

At one point, George starts chewing on his pencil’s eraser and Johnny fumbles a chord so badly that Alice yells at him for five minutes.

He tries to focus his eyes on the strings of his bass after that, but sometimes they stray.

They never get a lot done when George is there. Crystal and Alice tease him about it mercilessly.

-

It’s hard really, trying to pursue a relationship with someone you’re already friends with. And Johnny’s not even sure he’s willing to risk the friendship, because it’s the best thing he has in his life.

And the last time he tried hadn’t turned out so well. (Johnny is doubly glad that George hadn’t pushed when Johnny had brought up getting kicked out of his last school.)

The point is, Johnny’s not ready to say goodbye to the random texts, the late night horror movies, the weekly trips to their favorite burger joint.

Maybe someday he’ll make a move, but for now, he’s content to just have all of that. He tries not to dwell on the other ways he wants George. He’s not really fond of the way it makes his stomach twist into knots.

-

Here’s the thing though, as much as Johnny’s dreamed about being with George, he’s never really entertained the idea of George liking him back. Which probably sounds weird, but like there’s a difference between imagining things like holding George’s hand and hoping for even a second that George is also harboring some sort of crush.

So really, Johnny’s not expected the note that slides across their desk. Johnny looks at George in question, but George has his eyes fixed determinedly on the blackboard, flush high in his cheeks.

Johnny unfolds the piece of paper, expecting something silly about one of the founding fathers or maybe something about Jason or Claire. He wasn’t prepared for this:

_Wanna go out?_

Johnny stops breathing, his chest aches with how quickly his heart starts beating. He glances around, checking to make sure no one is paying attention to them. He’s not really sure this is real. Or maybe he means it in a platonic way and he just worded it wrong.

It probably says something about Johnny’s self esteem that his first assumption is that George couldn’t possibly have meant it in a romantic way.

Johnny looks back up at George, who hasn’t appeared to move, but Johnny can feel his leg bouncing nervously underneath the desk and George has leaned away just a little, enough so their shoulders aren’t touching like usual. Johnny misses the contact.

That’s more telling than the note itself.

Johnny stops drumming his pen against his leg, a habit he picked up ages ago that he rarely ever notices doing now, and scrawls out a reply.  

He slides it over to George and moves his chair closer, so their shoulders are pressed together again.

Alice told him about a place nearby that serves tiramisu milkshakes. He can’t wait to take George.

-

Johnny still stops outside of La Affezióne, but when he does it’s less longing that’s running under his skin and more hope. He may not have enough money to take George there now, but.

One day.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm @TrenchWarfaire on Twitter if you wanna scream about these nerds with me


End file.
